CNA – Perikatan Nasional (PN) Chairman Muhyiddin Yassin said yesterday that his meeting with former Malaysian prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad involved a discussion on the position and future of the Malays, as well as the latter’s support for the opposition coalition in the upcoming state elections.
“Essentially, we agreed to strengthen the unity among the Malays and enhance support for Perikatan Nasional, especially in facing the (six state elections) soon,” said Muhyiddin in a Facebook post following his meeting with Dr Mahathir which took place on Tuesday night.
The Election Commission on Wednesday announced that polling for the upcoming six state elections will take place on August 12.
Meanwhile, Muhyiddin also noted that the discussion on the future of the Malays in the country did not specifically touch on the Malay Proclamation.
The Malay Proclamation is a 12-point document written by Dr Mahathir that purportedly aims to protect the interests of and unite the Malay community to “restore the political power of Malays”.
In a statement earlier yesterday, the movement’s secretariat chairman Khairuddin Abu Hassan said that the meeting between the two leaders will “give new impetus to the Malay Proclamation movement” to empower and strengthen the position of Malays.
He added that the meeting, which took place for almost two hours, should be given high praise.
This is because Dr Mahathir and Muhyiddin were willing to set aside all political differences in the past in order to ensure the continuation of the struggle to empower the Malay people in Malaysia, he said.
According to the Malay Mail, the meeting between the two former prime ministers is believed to be the first since the so-called “Sheraton Move” in 2020 when a number of Members of Parliament (MPs) defected from the then-ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.
This triggered the collapse of the short-lived PH government led by Dr Mahathir, paving the way for Muhyiddin to take up the mantle as Malaysia’s next prime minister.
Khairuddin also noted in his statement that the Malay Proclamation movement is not based on party affiliation but on the basis of solving the struggles faced by Malays in Malaysia.
“We only want to talk about every Malay problem and solve it based on the ‘rights’ of the Malay people as enshrined in the federal constitution,” he added.
On March 27 this year, Dr Mahathir claimed in a Facebook post that Malays in the country “lost everything” after he resigned from top office in February 2020.
He was later quoted as saying by news portal Malaysia Now on June 1 that he is ready to work with Muhyiddin if the two leaders can reach a consensus on mutual goals, including efforts to champion the Malay cause and to reject those involved in corruption or criminal misconduct.
Subsequently, when asked during a press conference on June 6 if the cooperation with PN would be permanent or only for the state elections, Dr Mahathir said it will be discussed during the meeting with Muhyiddin.
Meanwhile, Muhyiddin, who is also the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s (Bersatu) president, said in a Free Malaysia Today report last Tuesday that the 12 points listed in the Malay Proclamation document “is something we (Bersatu) stand for, it is the foundation of our struggles”.
Bersatu is a component party of the opposition PN coalition.
